Dances With Wolves
by BonGarland
Summary: Tyler/OC. A gift to IRunWithWolves2424. Tyler has fled to the the mountains of Washington state to deal with his wolf issues, and Megan just had a "project" to finish...Rated for M for language and suggestive content in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hullo there, everyone! This is a pet project for me, refreshingly different from everything else I have posted so far. This fic is dedicated to IrunwithWolves2424 , my pal who demanded her+tyler "running" together.**

**Naturally, I obliged. I'm always willing to take requests for writing, though it takes a bit to get inspired and piece together/collaborate/agree upon what we want to happen.**

**I own nothing except for the marvelous character Megan; actually, i don't think i own her either.  
>I also mess around with werewolf lore in this; Tyler does change at the full moon, but he can change other times too. Not willingly. Also, "The Wolf" I mention is his wolf side, an active part of his consciousness. I thought it was cool to delve into werewolf psychiatry, obviously.<strong>

**This takes place in my home area, it's a special project for me. Please read, review,and hopefully enjoy; It'll be perhaps a three or fourshot, and it will be finished no matter who hates it. I'm being whipped. LOL.**

**Thank you, fans who have stuck with me; Cruel Summer will be updated soon, and my companion to If I Die Young is in the works as well.**

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><p>A resounding crack echoed throughout the small valley, startling a flock of crows from their perch among the evergreens. The birds scattered in all directions, clouding the sky and squawking in alarm as the only man for miles around collected the chopped logs that had caused the disturbance. With one smooth move, his ax was embedded in a stump, left to await another demand for wood.<p>

With the newly-cut logs safely stored in the small shed a short distance from the tree line, Tyler Lockwood brushed his hands off, drawing a deep breath and regarding the area that had become his home with an appraising gaze. He was accustomed to luxurious hallways, chandeliers, even simply reliable electricity, for God's sake. He had forsaken it all, making his way to Washington state and laying claim to an old hunting lodge of his family's. The place looked like it hadn't been used in decades, the lights were constantly burning out; he had to be content with the fact there was running water, no matter the temperature or cleanliness.

His eyes scanning the wilderness around him, Tyler felt a sense of satisfaction, nonetheless. Some primal urge within him, perhaps The Wolf, had coaxed him to this place, and he had to admit, he was as content as he felt he could be. The majestic Cascade range rising around him, the emerald splendor of trees and the valley's grass...

Closing his eyes, Tyler could discern at least three types of wildflower in this clearing alone. It was heaven to The Wolf.

Brushing sweat from his forehead and rolling back the sleeves of his plaid button-down shirt, Tyler ambled along the sloping valley floor, in the direction of his family's cabin, cottage...whatever you called a small dwelling in the middle of nowhere with about ten square feet of space inside altogether. He glanced up at the sky as he went; no sign of the moon. This month's transformation was a mere few days away, and so he had stocked what he hoped would be enough wood and supplies until then, and for a bit afterwards.

The wolf was breaking in its stride, making the days before and after the full moon especially difficult for the human to endure. It had come to that point; his human and werewolf sides were separate entities, warring over his body constantly, even when no moon shone from the sky. The slightest triggering action, nearly anything, sent him on an angry rampage; and when that happened, he transformed. No moon required, just some serious emotional upheaval. And so he had removed the "nearly anything" from the equation, escaping Mystic Falls and heading to the refuge of the Pacific Northwest.

Rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, Tyler was deep in thought, staring at the ground he trod on as he trudged towards the cabin. A few paces from the porch, a shrill shriek pierced the calm atmosphere, halting him in his tracks. Spinning around and straining every sense he could, Tyler tried to identify where and what the sound had come from.

Another panicked scream cut through the still air, and this time Tyler could tell it was human, and coming from the south end of the valley, a rockier area, tricky to navigate even for him. He frowned, knowing he couldn't stand by and ignore someone in trouble. He broke into a run, making his way toward the sound, dodging fallen branches and outcroppings of rocks. He was able to make his way up the slope in just a few moments, leaving grassy terrain and finding himself on a large ledge of sorts, overlooking a neighboring valley; but the landscape was not what held his attention when he reached the cliff.

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><p>The scene that met his eyes was horrifying; a grizzly bear, larger than average, was pawing the air agitatedly and roaring. Long, deadly claws raked the air as it stood on its hind legs, towering over a young woman, who was frantically clawing her way backwards, trying to escape the bear's rage. The cause of the grizzly's distress became evident in a moment; a young cub was crying loudly from its perch in a tall tree, a few paces behind the girl. She was blocking the cub from the adult grizzly.<p>

He took this all in at a moment's glance; but his gaze sharpened when he caught a better glimpse of the girl, and he simply stared for a moment. Long, russet-colored hair had partially spilled from her ponytail, cascading across her shoulders; warm, brown eyes wide with fright stared out from a heart-shaped face; her white t-shirt hugged her torso and showed off a slight tan; tight, dark jeans set off her curves perfectly.

Tyler shook his head forcibly to remove the distracting thoughts, moving forward with no plan in mind except to save the girl. As he slowly edged around the cliff in the girl's direction, The Wolf stirred in the back of his mind, eager at the thought of a fight with such an opponent as the grizzly. Tyler quenched the animalistic thoughts, halting as the grizzly noticed him, slamming back down onto all fours and eyeing him warily.

Tyler flicked a glance to the girl, whose eyes had moved to rest upon him, a mixture of relief and suspicion warring in her facial expressions. Casting his eyes over her quickly, Tyler noticed something he hadn't before; one leg of her jeans was coated in blood coming from a large gash, so much soaking through that it was literally dripping rhythmically onto the stone and dirt beneath her. Looking back at her face, he caught side of her pallor and shallow breathing; she was obviously trying to keep it together enough to get away, but she was seriously injured and likely on the verge of passing out.

Another step taken by Tyler caused the bear to snort loudly, tossing its head and ambling a few feet in his direction, away from the girl.

"What's your name?" Tyler directed at her hurriedly, trying to maintain her focus and the bear's attention; when there was no reply, he pried his eyes from the approaching bear and saw the girl had passed out, a hand clenched to her leg. Looking back at the bear, he allowed a low growl to escape him, sidestepping the last few feet to the girl's side as the grizzly hesitated.

Examining the young woman's leg quickly, Tyler could tell it would need some serious medical treatment, something he did not have access to. He'd have to try his best, but getting her away from the bear would be a great start. It still hadn't moved, cocking it's head and snuffling loudly. The cub had even quieted, watching the humans with curious eyes, starting to inch down the tree.

Tyler quickly unbuttoned his shirt, removing it and wrapping it tightly around the girl's leg, tying it as tightly as he could, hoping it would stop more blood loss. Taking off his shirt would also enable scent of The Wolf to travel with the wind, a warning to the grizzly and other animals around.

He grimaced at the magnified scent of blood; The Wolf was never far from the surface at moments like this. He had to move fast. Looking back at the grown grizzly again, he saw it had moved around to where he had first come from, effectively boxing them in. Lifting the girl in his arms gingerly, Tyler peered over the nearest ledge. He couldn't risk the bear charging them if he moved in any other direction. There were a few small outcroppings of rock sporadically and conveniently placed along the face of the cliff wall below them; if he could make it from one to another, down to the river below...

Shaking his head at the ludicrous situation he found himself in, Tyler crouched slightly, then leapt from the ledge of rock, landing as smoothly as he could on another section of rock. The girl moved fitfully in his arms, moaning slightly, and he had to adjust his grip, assessing their position and figuring out what to do next.

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><p>Somehow Tyler made it down to the small river that curved back around towards the cabin. He laid the still-unconscious girl on the bank, removing his shirt from her leg and ripping away the section of jeans covering her wound, up to her knee. Hopefully she didn't like this pair too much...<p>

Soaking his plaid shirt in the river (thankfully, he hadn't liked this too much either), he wrung the water out of it, moving to clean the girl's leg as best he could for now. As soon as the icy river water touched her leg, she awoke, gasping and lunging upwards to a sitting position.

"Wh-who are you? What are you...You are shirtless," She panted, attempting to crabwalk backwards to get away from Tyler.

He gently shushed her, moving towards her and indicating her leg. "You're pretty badly injured, and I'm trying to clean the wound. You don't need to be afraid, the bears are long gone. What's your name?"

Her brown eyes regarded him speculatively, brow furrowed in pain and doubt. Tyler gave her time to answer, averting his eyes for a moment and scanning the wilderness around them. But he soon found his gaze wandering back to her pouting lips, to her hair flung over her shoulders, to the neckline of her V-neck t-shirt...What was wrong with him? He had just met this girl, and not under the best of circumstances. Her muttered response jerked him from his thoughts. "Megan."

He knelt before her and proferred the soaked shirt he'd been using. "I don't exactly have a bottle of Iodine handy out here, you can try to clean it yourself while I figure out where we are."

She raised a brow in his direction, wincing slightly as she gingerly wiped at her leg. "I...feel ridiculously stupid right now."

Tyler had stood up, squinting at the trees around them and sniffing the air subtly. "I wouldn't worry about it; you're not the first hiker to come up against a grizzly, but you're probably one of the luckiest."

"How...did you find me? I thought I was a goner, for sure..." She muttered, trailing off as she winced violently, fighting a wave of dizziness. "The way I'm feeling, I guess I could still be a goner."

As she spoke, Tyler felt a raindrop hit his bare shoulder. Then another. And another.

Cursing the state of Washington, the natural process that was rain, and his having felt the need to help a damsel in distress, Tyler turned back towards Megan. "We need to move now. This will be a torrential downpour in about thirty seconds. Can you walk?"

Megan looked around, and of course seeing no helpful materials, tied Tyler's shirt around her wound as best she could, trying to hide her face with her hair as the pain brought hot tears to her eyes. She was a strong woman, with a lot of pride; she had to muster all of her strength and dignity to get through this. Placing her hands on the ground to gain balance, megan shoved herself to her feet, teetering on her good leg and nearly gasping with pain. "I...can walk."

Her pride was obvious, so Tyler pretended not to notice her pain for the moment. The rainfall increased exponentially, as he had predicted; large drops pounded his bare chest and dripped into his eyes, drenching Megan's hair as well, and plastering her t-shirt to her skin. She awkwardly folded her arms, mentally swearing herself out for having chosen a white shirt.

"We, um, better get moving," Tyler muttered, walking past Megan briskly. "If you can't keep up, let me know and I can carry you."

At his words, Megan reddened, bristling with anger and embarassment. Of course she could walk herself, this...this very large gash in her leg was...just a scratch. And no way in hell was a strange man, however attractive, going to carry her. She grew dizzy just looking down at it. Gritting her teeth, she turned and began to walk along the riverbank behind Tyler.

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><p>Tyler soon outdistanced her; his legs were longer and his strides faster, and his ass looked too good in those jeans, and his hair looked way too nice dripping wet...There were many reasons why Megan couldn't keep up, none of course having to do with the fact that there was a foot-long 2-inch deep slice in her leg. Damn grizzlies. Damn wild men who had to help a girl in trouble. Damn rain. Damn horticulture project. Damn issues for driving her into the wilderness and into encountering aforementioned problems.<p>

Attempting to navigate a particularly difficult rocky slope within the forest, Megan slipped slightly, which jarred her injured leg; stopping altogether, she allowed the tears to fall as she lost sight of Tyler's bare back, moving ahead of her. She was barely conscious at this point, dizzy and nauseous; she wanted to go home, she wanted to take back the random grizzly encounter, she didn't want to appear weak but her leg hurt _so damn much_.

The rain continued on, impervious to her condition; she was soon completely soaked through, crumpled on the forest floor and feeling lower than the dirt she was sitting on. Raindrops pattering on leaves and branches blocked out the sound of approaching steps; Megan let out a gasp when a hand fell upon her shoulder, throwing herself backwards and nearly passing out again with pain.

"Easy," Tyler's voice crooned. "You really are seriously injured, and we need to get to shelter."

Megan barely heard him through the haze of pain she struggled to breathe through. She felt the seeping of blood from her leg resume, and blinked furiously. "I..."

"Don't protest. I'm not gonna judge you for needing help. We just met." With a small chuckle and no other warning, Tyler reached down, snaking an arm under Megan's legs and around her waist, lifting her to his chest effortlessly. She hissed in a breath between clenched teeth at the movement, giving in after a moment and burrowing her head into his shoulder, trying hard not to pass out or vomit all over him. He was still shirtless, and she found his musky scent oddly comforting. That thought brought her back to earth, and her cheeks flamed; she kept her face down, focusing on breathing regularly and nothing else.

When she was settled in his arms, Tyler set off again, traversing the forest like he was certain of where he was going. That thought set off a dim warning bell in her head, but Megan honestly couldn't afford to care right now. She was in pain, it was raining, and this hot man represented shelter and painkillers to her right now. She must be delirious. Closing her eyes, she let Tyler's gentle movements and the sounds of the rain lull her into unconsciousness.

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><p><strong>And that concludes part one of the #TeamWhatWouldTylerDo fic. What did you guys think? Please let me know; I am also unsure of ratings at this point. going M simply gives me more creative room, so...there we are. Thanks for reading! xoxo Bon<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! So sorry, having multiple stories running is proving very difficult. But I remain a devout wolf worshipper, and this just HAD to go up as soon as I could manage. Here you go, Megan! Enjoy, everyone! **

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><p>Megan awoke to the scent of wood smoke and an unbearable burning pain in her leg. Giving a small sob of pain as she forced her eyes open, her gaze met with the rafters of what looked like some sort of cabin, complete with a musty deer head on the wall. She lowered her gaze, seeing she was laid on a couch, a warm fleece blanket covering her body, which was...missing some clothing.<p>

She jerked upright, clutching the blanket to her chest and pulling her leg away from Tyler, who held a bottle of Iodine in one hand, and a few cottonballs in the other.

"Easy," he soothed, setting down the medical supplies and raising his arms in a placating gesture.

"Where the fuck are my clothes, you sick perv? Where am I?" Megan demanded, attempting to scramble backwards off the couch; a fresh surge of pain in her leg halted her movements quickly, and she blinked back tears, awaiting an explanation.

Tyler rose to his feet, backing up a few feet and pointing towards the fire. Following his pointing finger, Megan saw her clothes hanging on a cord strung across the front of the fireplace, effectively drying them. _All _of them. Tyler could probably go accurately bra-shopping for her now. She winced, looking back at Tyler, who shoved his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable. "Our clothes were wet...I didn't want you to get sick on top of being injured. And I would never take advantage of a woman like that." He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Megan to absorb the small exchange of words.

Easing herself back onto the couch properly, Megan rearranged the blanket around her, feeling bad for her accusations. She just...She felt weak, she was in a strange man's crazed recluse-status cabin, and no matter how...attractive he was,she had to sort out what was going on.

She turned her head toward the doorway where Tyler had disappeared, as he returned with a backpack in hand. That backpack looked...familiar...

"How on earth did you get my backpack back?" She asked, running her hands along the familiar material as he placed it on the couch next to her.

"I asked the bears nicely," he joked, winking and moving towards the fire, repositing the rapidly-drying clothes. "You've been out a while...When I brought you back here, I cleaned that gash as well as I could with what I've got here. When I had done all I could, I headed back to where I found you; I remembered seeing a backpack. The bears were gone, so I grabbed it. And to answer your other question, this cabin has been in my family for years. I've...been staying here recently. And you should be glad, otherwise you'd be bear food."

He turned from the fire and met her uncertain gaze for a moment, before her eyes dropped, long lashes hiding them from his. She shifted uneasily, working a strap on her backpack between her fingers. "Thank you."

He smiled widely, breaking the awkward tension completely. "You're welcome. Now, about that wound...it's really not too bad, one of those that is so shallow it just likes to bleed a lot. Did the bear do that?"

She blushed, biting her lip. "No...The larger bear surprised me, and I...fell. But can we keep that between us? I'd like an epic story to take home..." She trailed off as Tyler let out a bark of laughter, shaking his head.

"We'll keep it between us, but I can't speak for the bears. Gossipy things, they are," he said, trying to keep a straight face and failing as another grin broke across his features. Jerking a thumb towards her backpack, he looked at her questioningly. "Do you have spare clothes in there, or should we wait on the ones drying?"

She pulled the backpack closer to her. "I have spare clothes, yeah..." She blushed, glancing up at Tyler. He got the message, heading towards the doorway he'd come from earlier. "I'll, uh, get you something...I know for a fact you haven't eaten in ages." At her nod, he disappeared, and she could soon hear bottles clinking.

Delving into her backpack, she pulled out a spare outfit, setting it aside and digging through her other belongings, finding a hairbrush and a spare tube of mascara. Score. So what if she was in the wilderness? A girl could try to look her best without shame...

The fact that she was indeed in the wilderness suddenly became clear in her head. She was probably filthy. She also still did not know the name of the man who had rescued her. Clearing her throat loudly, she called out. "I, uh, still don't know your name."

He yelled back, "It's Tyler. And the shower is through the door to your left."

Her eyes went wide; it was like he had read her thoughts. Shaking her head, she gathered her things and clutched the blanket around her, awkwardly shuffling in that direction.

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><p>A short time later, Megan emerged from the lukewarm shower, simply marveling that she was clean. She had put on a cheerful blue tank top, showcasing her tan, such as it was, and dark capris that she had carefully inched up her legs, trying to avoid her leg wound.<p>

The leg in question was still throbbing, and she winced as she hobbled back to the couch, tossing the blanket onto the back and easing herself onto it. Looking down at her leg, she saw the blood had finally stopped flowing. The low table in front of the couch still held Iodine and other supplies, so she gingerly applied some more antibiotics, gritting her teeth and bandaging her leg.

She had almost finished when Tyler returned, placing a steaming bowl of soup and a bottle of water in front of her. "You better get a decent meal in you, you're practically wasting away. We need to keep your strength up."

She reddened, glancing down at her curvy figure and back again, appreciating his subtle compliment but feeling awkward. She reached for the bottle of water, smiling her thanks at him, and downed a mouthful quickly.

Tyler left a moment later, heading out the front door and saying something about needing to chop more wood. Megan occupied herself trying to visualize him chopping wood, all sweaty in his plaid shirt, no, wait, shirtless...Resisting the urge to fan herself, she rose, pacing around the main room as best she could, trying not to jar her leg against anything. She paused in front of a large wall calendar, staring at a date circled multiple times in red ink.

Peering closer, she saw it was tonight, the night of the full moon. She frowned, seeing red lines drawn through the days before and after it as well. They were all marked. Curious, she lifted the page showing this month, and looked at the next month, and the previous month. They were marked exactly the same way. Why? She hurriedly re-tacked the calendar to the wall, nearly shrieking when she turned to find Tyler right behind her, staring hard over her head at the circled dates. How had he entered so silently...?

She was almost too startled to notice how sweaty he was, how unbuttoned his shirt was, how his chest heaved a bit...Almost. But in the split second they held each other's eyes, Megan could have sworn she saw a predatory glint in Tylers'. Just for a moment. Then it was gone, blinked away as he moved past her to adjust the calendar on the wall. "I...like stargazing and stuff, if you were wondering." He nervously patted down the tacks holding it in place one last time, then turned to her. "Do you feel alright now?"

Megan nodded numbly, awkwardly wringing her hand and turning away to disguise her movements. Something didn't add up...stargazing on the few days the moon was at its brightest, and most likely to overshadow the actual stars? She was forced to abandon that train of thought at the next station, as Tyler flopped down on the small couch with a gusty sigh and motioned to the spot next to him. "That's great you're feeling better. Not sure what I would have done if the situation had been any worse. So...can you tell me why you were out there?"

Megan had moved to sit beside him, and the way she had to posiiton her injured leg to stay comfortable put her in alarmingly close quarters with Tyler.

She managed to stutter, "Umm...I...was...researching something for horticulture class?"

Tyler stared at her. "Deep in the Cascade mountains? You were potentially risking your life for HOMEWORK? You must know the dangers, are you from around here?"

Megan blushed, folding and unfolding her hands, trying to ignore his arm, spread across the back of the couch, that seemed to be inching towards her. She could barely breathe, but she drew in an unsteady breath and deadpanned. "I'm a bit of an overachiever, and I'm actually from Virginia, a place called Charlottesville. I took a horticulture class online, to keep my mind off unpleasant things during the slow time in summer. Figured I could blame a vacation on wanting to accurately research some project or another, though that's no lie. I was trying to find a rare type of tree when you found me." She stopped herself, wary of revealing too much about herself to a stranger, and yet wishing for Tyler to know it all.

She shifted forward on the couch, under the pretense of checking her leg, when in reality she was trying to get some space between them. Tyler's presence was inexplicably soothing, and tempting, though she had an odd feeling that there was some massive, creepy fact about him looming over her head.

"So what brings a gentleman such as yourself out into the middle of nowhere? Woodshop project?" Megan joked, settling herself again, as far from him as she could be and still be on the couch. She didn't miss the quick flash of pain that pinched his features for a moment as she said "gentleman".

"It's...nothing like that," Tyler muttered, moving towards the fireplace and stirring the flames back to life, and pulling down her now-dry clothes, setting them on the coffee table. "I'm not doing school or anything, no...I just...I had to leave where I was. I'm from Virginia too, weirdly enough. Mystic Falls."

Her eyes widened in mild shock before Megan grinned. "Well howdy, neighbor...Was it like family issues, girl issues?" She stopped and covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so curious. I'm sure it'll kill me someday." She laughed lightly, but Tyler's expression had darkened, his brow furrowing as he passed a hand over his face.

"Yeah, it very well could," he said shortly, moving her clothes to the couch, next to her backpack. "So on a scale from one to ten, ten being absolutely fine, how well do you think you can walk right now?"

She blinked. Had she really offended this guy with her questions to the extent that he was willing to send her back into the wilderness now, on foot, with a hurt leg? There had to be something else. "Umm...I guess I'm about a seven, now that it's been treated a bit..."

"Great," Tyler said quickly. "If we leave soon I can get you to the nearest trailhead. Did you drive here?" At her nod, he continued. "Someone can give you a ride to your car, I'm sure."

Megan's mind was spinning, her thoughts racing each other at Nascar speeds. What the hell brought on this complete 180 in the attitude department? "I'm sorry, uh, Tyler...Did I upset you somehow? I didn't mean to..."

He sighed, kneeling before her and taking her hands. "I'm so sorry I'm coming off like an insensitive jerk all of a sudden, but you can't be here another night. It's...dangerous, out here."

"We're in a cabin," Megan pointed out stubbornly, confused.

"Deep in the woods, Megan, and things...find their way in. The full moon changes how animals...behave," said Tyler, in a tone that chilled her blood. "I don't want to see you get hurt again, so it's best I get you back to civilization as soon as possible." He stood and left the room, leaving Megan thinking about nothing but how good it had felt when he held her hands.

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><p>Tyler stepped out onto the back porch, running his hands over his face, wondering where the hell it all went wrong. He'd been here on and off for a few years now, he pretty much had the whole I-turn-into-a-wolf routine down, and...Now, of all times, a pretty girl, who appeared just as interested in him as he was in her, was in his cabin. The night of the damned full moon.<p>

He let out a frustrated groan, kicking an old, rusted bucket that had been on the porch; he watched angrily as it sailed into the forest, past the tree line and out of sight, far further than a human would have sent it. He could feel The Wolf stir inside him, as surely as if the animal itself stood in front of him, stretching its legs and sniffing the wind, readying for the hunt. The Change was tonight, and it was hard to predict exactly when, the precise moment when the moon was at its apex...Either way, it was extremely dangerous for Megan right now. He was torn between keeping her here, and keeping her safe...For the two were certainly not the same.

The guilt he still felt over the murder that had triggered the curse, guilt over the pain he'd caused with the following transformations, the anguish he'd even caused by leaving...Here he could ignore it. Until now. Her presence was forcing him to confront his demons...Assuming Megan would stay in the cabin, getting herself ready to leave, Tyler set off for a short walk.

He strode briskly toward the tree line, hands in pockets and head bowed against the brisk wind. Damned full moon; always made it that much colder out. Tugging a hand free, he pulled up his collar, entering the forest. Pinecones, dead leaves, and tree branches crunched underfoot, but Tyler kept walking, running through every thought and feeling about Megan he'd had since he first saw her on the ground in front of that bear.

Something had drawn them together, and was continuing to do so. It wasn't mere animal instinct, though that could easily be blamed in his case, little did she know...He sighed heavily, thinking of her innocent curiosity, and how casually she'd tried to accept that she'd woken up in a strange cabin in the middle of the woods. And the process of carefully removing her wet clothes...Suddenly, the chilly air no longer bothered him.

Reaching a cliff, he could walk no further, and stood looking out at the expansive woodlands in the next valley. The breeze caressed his face, and Tyler closed his eyes, savoring the feeling. There would be enough discomfort tonight.

The thought of tonight snapped his eyes open, and his head lifted as he sought the sun's position in the sky. His blood ran cold as the only evidence the sun had ever been in the sky was a reddish tinge visible over mountaintops to the west. He had to get back.

The Wolf was so close now. He could feel the inhuman speed he employed as he ran through the forest, could scent which path he had taken originally...The Wolf helped him return quickly, and yet it was the problem itself.

A spasm of pain overtook Tyler, and he doubled over for a moment, gasping for breath as the trees around him seemed to spin. His insides were already rearranging themselves...

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><p>He forced himself to keep moving, relieved when the cabin finally came into view. He staggered up the front steps and tried to compose himself. How was he going to explain that Megan needed to barricade herself in the wine cellar? The Wolf wouldn't think to go down there if he ended up back inside the cabin, but it would want <em>out<em> if _he_ himself was the one locked in the cellar. That made sense.

Trying to smooth his facial expression, Tyler wrenched open the door and called for Megan. No answer. He made his way inside, making a quick search of the cabin. She was nowhere. Her belongings were gone, as well. Shit. She had to be in the woods somewhere...trying to make it back on her own? It was getting dark, and very cold...Even if he wasn't a werewolf, even if it was broad daylight, this was insane.

He looked out a window; it was definitely well past dusk now. The sky was a deep indigo shade, the moon already high above the mountains. How on earth was he going to find her? His senses were enhanced, it probably wouldn't take long...but what would happen when he _did_? He shuddered at the thought. He honestly didn't know what to do. Casting his glance around the valley, he guessed which direction she most likely took, and set off in the opposite direction. He had to keep The Wolf away from her.

He'd made it a few miles into the trees in the dark, sharpening reflexes making it easy to avoid obstacles. He pushed himself as fast as he could go, hoping against hope that Megan was nowhere in the vicinity, wherever she had gone.

He was crossing a stream, wading quickly through, when the transformation really began. He collapsed in the cold water, flailing a bit as he struggled to keep his head above the water amidst the debilitating pain. He could hear his spine crunch as it broke itself, only to shape into that of a wolf's...His fingers made snapping noises as they formed wicked claws, fur sprouted along his arms, ripping his clothes...

He let out a frustrated howl just as The Wolf overtook him; his last coherent thoughts were of Megan.

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><p><strong>What'd you guys think? Please read and review, it means so much. Aroooo! xoxo Bon<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Sorry about the wait, I am just becoming notorious at inconsistent updates, aren't I...I really am sorry, fate likes to cockblock progress in any aspect of my life. This is an extra-long chapter that will hopefully compensate. **

**Anyways, aroooo to all my wolfy fic fans! how are y'all? I know Megan has been waiting, so I'll make this brief. I like to spread the word of Good Music, especially music that has proven supportive and inspirational to my writing, whenever the heck I DO get around to writing.  
>So for this fic, this chapter, here is a sort of playlist:<br>30 seconds to mars - attack  
>Florence+The Machine - howl<br>Lady Gaga - Monster  
>Blake Shelton - Honey Bee<br>****Evanescence - The Change **

**Author note BS aside, let the wolves run free, and please review if the mood strikes ya! XOXO**

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><p>"Stupid, stupid, stupid." Megan was muttering to herself as she trudged blindly through the darkened woods; no other word accurately described what she had done and was doing. Her stubborn will and "I am woman" attitude had led her to leave the relative safety of Tyler's cabin, without him there to lead her, because he'd gone off on some silly little walk, and she was now in the middle of the woods, the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night. So it was dark. And cold. And these woods also happened to be in the center of the north Cascade mountains. She was so screwed.<p>

As if to cement the idea in her mind that she was inevitably going to die in the woods, probably covered in pine needles and mud, an ear-splitting howl sounded from somewhere nearby; there was no way to gauge direction, the stupid trees - why did they even _exist_ - made it impossible, as the noise slowly died away.

Megan shivered, halting her progress. She was really just feeling her way around, which was completely idiotic - the next instance of facial contact with a branch was going to lose her an eye. With a bandaged leg, a backpack full of useless items and no actual supplies, and a distinct lack of any navigational instruments...Yep, somehow, she would be ended tonight.

Another howl erupted from the throat of whatever beast was in the neighborhood, sounding much closer, and magnified in menace. She had no clue what to do. Try to climb a tree? Like that was going to happen. Try to negotiate with the thing? She didn't even know what it was, or where it was, but chances were, it sure as hell wasn't friendly, and could hear and smell her, if not see her, at this very moment.

Panic started to set in; gripping the straps of her backpack as firmly as she could with sweaty palms, Megan tried to silence herself, slowly turning in a circle to see if she could hear anything more. She finally noticed she was at the edge of a large clearing, just as the full moon came out, illuminating completely the entire area. And also showing her the large wolf crouched across the clearing, ready to launch itself at her.

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><p>Megan took a step back as the wolf growled loudly, her sneakered foot finding uneven ground and sending her falling backwards into the mulch covering the forest floor. Of course this would happen to her. Really, a bear first, now a wolf? And she, on her ass on the damn ground? The proverbial lamb being led to the slaughter...She had no time to rue her circumstances before the wolf was moving forward, stalking towards her, and her brain flatlined.<p>

"Oh shit. Oh shit." She scrambled backwards, her back hitting a tree. She used it to raise herself from the ground, cursing again as her backpack snagged a rogue branch. "What sort of cosmic luck is it gonna take to get away from a random hungry wolf?"

She was far too busy grumbling, the sound a loud contrast in the silence of the night, than to notice the effect her voice was having on the beast. She didn't see the pause in its forward progression, the way its ears pricked up, moving back and forth as it hesitated. By the time she had ripped her backpack free from the troublesome tree branch holding it and her captive, the wolf was about five feet from her, its charcoal-colored coat a dark blur in the dim moonlight.

As Megan turne back in its direction, she froze, her eyes locking on the wolf that was suddenly a thousand times closer than a moment ago. She didn't know what to do. Totally had no clue as to how one commenced Beastie Negotiations 101.

"Hey there," she tried, sounding remarkably calm. She assumed it was shock settling in. At the sound of her voice, the animal's ears twitched again, and it seemed to shudder, shuffling and tossing its head nervously. Megan missed all of these movements, as the moon had passed behind a thick pack of clouds, and so she remained perfectly still, leaning back against the tree that had ensnared her backpack, afraid to move.

She hadn't been torn apart for talking, though, so she decided to pursue that same plan, starting to ramble about everything that had happened in the past couple of days. She could tell the wolf was still there, but her fear was quickly abating, nonetheless. She didn't understand, but perhaps it was merely the sound of her own voice, eerily calm.

"So I wake up, bare-ass naked, on this couch belonging to Mr. Smokin'-hot-but-still-super-shady mountain man, and I'm like what the legit fuck? But who wouldn't be, right? Because you're naked, vulnerable, been out cold for at least a few hours, etcetera."

The wolf suddenly let out a strange sound, something between a whimper and a very human-sounding groan of pain.

"Ohh boy. That sounded just great. I'm all out of Pepto Bismol Wolf-relief, umm..." Megan began to inch backwards, moving around that same meddlesome tree. She emitted a squeal of fright when the wolf made another groaning noise, her own vocal cords giving out as she heard a sudden, muted crunching noise. And another, followed by another.

The moon emerged from behind the thick cloudcover just in time to reveal the wolf in the middle of what had to be a seizure or something, in Megan's mind. Its body was contorting grotesquely, paws bending at unnatural angles, fur...retreating back into its skin? The moon retreated behind clouds once again, plunging the clearing into darkness.

Her mind dove into rationalization mode. She must have smoked something she couldn't remember, eaten the wrong kind of wild mushroom, her last eye exam must have been performed incorrectly...Any theory was better than what she was really thinking. Sure, she'd heard weird theories about the habits of west-coasters, and Bigfoot, and Edward and Jacob, but...

Her mind was racing like that stupid cartoon roadrunner, and by the time she shook herself back to awareness, the being in front of her was eerily silent.

Cautiously, Megan pushed away from the tree, inching forward in an attempt to see what had happened. Lucky for her, the moon decided to reappear from behind the rapidly-drifting clouds again, illuminating the entire scene before her. She nearly died of shock.

No longer was there a snarling wolf crouched a few paces away. In its place lay an unconscious human, male, and that shiny, dark hair was already all-too familiar to Megan.

"T-tyler?" She managed, trying not to choke on her own tongue.

There was no response for a moment, then Tyler stirred, groaning and beginning to shiver uncontrollably. Belatedly, Megan noticed he was completely naked. As if someone who had been an animal mere moment ago would've had time to browse the shelves of Gap or something. And the temperature was only going to drop further as the night progressed...

Frantically, she rummaged through everything she had on her person. Digging through the backpack, she found, at the very bottom, a rain-repellant poncho, something she'd found in a bargain bin at the sporting goods store. With her newbie status in the mountaineering world, she'd assumed basically anything she could find in the store would be useful, somehow, on _any_ sort of outing, so she'd grabbed it. Maybe that was the right thing to do...

She pulled it out quickly, squinting in the still-inadequate light, and eyed Tyler, whose teeth were chattering, his boy glistening with a sheen of sweat as he remained in the fetal position on the forest floor.

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><p>She made her way to his side, feeling a pang in her heart at the handsome man, whose strength she'd seen with her own eyes, reduced to such a state. Not to mention how freaking odd the circumstances were. Setting aside her doubts to await a later explanation, she crouched next to Tyler, moving his hair out of his face. "You helped me, even though you didn't have to. Whatever canine-shaped skeletons are in your, uh, cabin's closet, I can only hope to return the favor." She did not voice out loud the bizarre attraction she'd felt since the moment they laid eyes upon each other, the emotional connection that felt as though it had merely lain dormant until they met, then sparked to life with a vengeance.<p>

As she spoke, she wrapped the poncho around as much of him as she could reach, trying to respect his space at the same time, though she longed to run her hands over those biceps, those abs...Shaking her head violently, she used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe the sweat from his face. "Are you...well, you're obviously not alright in any sense I guess, but do you think you can move? Maybe, um, get us back to the cabin? I'm sort of a big epic fail in the navigational department today." Her voice still held that eerie calm, and she guessed her psyche was just preparing itself for the Mother of All Breakdowns as soon as she was not stuck in the middle of the woods at night.

Tyler, who had not spoken the entire time, stirred again, raising his head, and in the process, leaning his cheek into her touch as she felt his forehead for fever or any weird lingering effects of wolfiness. "Megan...?"

"Yep! Have you seen any _other_ humans wandering these woods tonight?" She asked cheerfully, reorganizing her backpack and stuffing all the useless supplies back inside. When she had swung it back on and adjusted the straps, she turned back to find him climbing shakily to his feet. When he stumbled, she darted forward and grabbed his arm, helping him regain his balance. The movement brought them into very close quarters; looking up, Megan found Tyler's face inches from her own, and had to swallow with effort as she tore her eyes away, throwing her gaze anywhere but at him.

Tyler cleared his throat wearily, and adjusted the poncho around himself so that it was tied like a towel, more or less. Megan tried not to oggle the area it covered, raising her chin and looking determinedly towards the woods surrounding the clearing. "Which direction?"

"Um...not that one," Tyler said, amusement audible over the exhaustion in his voice. "Before we set off...You...Are you, you know, okay with everything you saw?"

_I didn't see the parts I wanted to see _- Megan cut off her thoughts before they went much further, nodding briskly and still not looking in his direction. "I'm perfectly fine. I am chill. I got this. Just want a roof over my head right now."

Tyler murmured something about retaining some "wolfish" instincts after each "change", and set off in a specific direction, Megan keeping close behind him, wincing at the thought of bare feet stepping on the branches, rocks, and other hazards littering the ground. Neither those nor the cold seemed to bother Tyler, who appeared to gain more and more of his strength back as they walked. He managed to look dignified even with a rain poncho wrapped around his midriff.

Megan gritted her teeth, resigned to her fate as the laughingstock of the squirrel, opossum, and chipmunk community, as she trudged along, stumbling occasionally as she followed Tyler's broad back through the pitch-black forest. He obviously knew where he was going. This was a bizarre situation, served on an odd plate, with weird sauce poured all over it. How was she taking it so...reasonably?

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><p>Voicing her thoughts, Tyler spoke, his words carrying easily through the still night air. "You are taking this insanely well. I don't get it."<p>

Swallowing thickly, she just barely avoided tripping over a fallen log, not responding until the trees had thinned a bit. "I...I don't know what to say. I think I know what happened, what I saw, and...It doesn't make sense. It should not be...real, what just happened. It's...it's not something I wanna discuss, still out in the middle of the woods, freezing my ass off."

He made a sound that might have been a snort of laughter. "You shouldn't have left the cabin."

"You shouldn't have flipped a mental one-eighty and made me feel like an unwanted, burden-ey, whiny, damsel in distress!" She shot back, welcoming the warming sensation anger brought as she clenched her fists, her actions invisible to him.

"Don't you see, now, why I wanted you gone?" His tone grew louder as he grew angry as well.

"You went on a stupid little casual _stroll_, and I was left alone, and like I said, feeling unwanted! And I am an independent sort of person, what else was I going to do, twiddle my thumbs and knit you a sweater for when you came back?" Her words were echoing now, bouncing off the thick trunks of surrounding trees.

"I...If my mind doesn't stay calm for as long as possible, the Change will occur sooner, and more violently! It was to protect you, I had every intention of coming back in time to figure something out for you!"

"How was I supposed to-" Megan's words were cut off as she was suddenly caught in a strong grip, pushed back against a tree before Tyler's lips found hers.

She protested the action at first, but his grip was strong, his lips tantalizing, and she was one-hundred percent certain her mind had replayed this fantasy a dozen times in the past two days. So she let it happen, her mouth allowing his access, soaking in his intoxicating presence. After a moment, he tore himself away, leaving them both gasping, chests heaving as they fought to steady their breath.

"That...shouldn't...have happened," Tyler managed, quickly adding to his statement when he caught Megan's hurt expression in the dim moonlight. "I mean...I wanted it to, but you know, we've only known each other two days, half of which you were out cold, but...after the Change, I always have all these..._animalistic instincts_ lingering inside me, and...and what happened tonight, me changing back prematurely, that's never happened...So there is more...wolf residue than usual..." He stumbled over his words, rushing to reassure her, and Megan took pity on him, tossing her backpack to the ground and moving to stand in front of him.

Reaching up and running her hands along his jawline, she gaped mentally at her brazen actions. But it felt so right, like one of the story books she'd read as a child had come true, and this was her Prince Charming...She mentally slapped herself at the childish notion, and made Tyler's gaze meet hers, as best she could in the lack of light.

"It's fine. It's more than fine. I...had no idea the changing-back was happening prematurely...What do you think caused it?"

His hands moved to cover hers, still cupping his face. "Honestly? You. Your presence, your voice, somehow it all...overpowered the wolf, brought me back. I have absolutely no explanation, I just know that's what happened. Nothing of the sort has ever happened to me, as many times as I've changed. My interactions with others have proved...dangerous."

There was definitely a story behind that statement, but Megan shivered as a cold breeze suddenly whipped through the trees, chilling her to the bone. She slowly let her hands drop from his face, regretfully. "Fascinating, but really, we should get back. Right? Right." She nodded and backed away to give herself some space, grabbed her backpack again, and gestured for him to resume their path.

Tyler grinned, acknowledging the elephant in the...forest? that was their unfinished business, and began picking his way through the trees again. He was gonna need a hell of a foot massage when they got back...

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><p>It was growing light out by the time the cabin was in sight; Megan had obviously made it pretty far on her own, and Tyler was impressed.<p>

At the appearance of the now-familiar structure, Megan almost burst into tears. Her feet were nearly numb from plodding along on nearly-frozen mulch all night, even _with_ shoes; the damned backpack's straps were digging into her shoulders, loaded with unnecessary stuff as it was; and the adrenaline rush from the wolf encounter had ebbed away, leaving her feeling completely drained.

Once she'd made it inside, she flung the stupid backpack to the ground, cracking her neck and marvelling that the place was still warm.

"All in the insulation," Tyler said, entering behind her and stretching his arms above his head. Ignoring the way the movement drew attention to his abs and well-muscled chest, Megan frowned at him. "How do you seem to read my thoughts? It's freaking creepy at this point."

He looked at her, innocent-eyed and puzzled. "Things just pop into my head and I say them. It feels nice and toasty in here; I'm actually shocked you didn't leave the front door flung open when you left, you were probably in such a huff." He grinned to soften the statement, dodging when she chucked a small pillow at him. "Got it right, didn't I?"

"Except, of course, for the door left open," she scowled as she retorted, removing her various layers of random clothing. "I do have _some_ sense, after all." Once she was only in a tanktop and her jeans, complete with the rip where her leg had been cut, she sat down on the couch to tend to the still-recent injury.

"Oh, I think that's debatable, considering you ran out, in the middle of an autumn night, into the most heavily-forested part of the Cascade mountains, with not the faintest idea of where you were going." Tyler was enjoying riling her up, sauntering past the couch on his way to take a shower and retrieve some clothes. He was answered with the thud an old hunting catalog made as it sailed past him and hit the doorframe he was approaching.

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><p>Megan glared at his tanned, in-shape, sexy, retreating back as he disappeared through the doorway, turning her attention back to her leg. Peeling off the bandages from yesterday, she made a small noise of satisfaction. Her nighttime wanderings hadn't damaged the bindings too much, and the wound itself was looking as good as it could, given all circumstances. She took deep breaths, letting them out slowly through her mouth, as she worked to rebandage it, tying the last knot with a little flourish, and sighing loudly.<p>

She sagged back against the couch, staring at the wooden rafters, taking the moment of solitude to rapidly mentally recount everything that had happened. It still sounded nuts. Something out of a romance novel. The fantastical production of a young girl who'd eyed one too many lumberjack-covered Bounty packages. Her mind rushed to dwell on that mental image, the red plaid shirt, the rugged-looking hair...She had seen the real deal. She giggled to herself, turning her attention to the dying embers of the fire and deciding to try to poke it back to life. That was how it worked, right? She was such a city girl...

Grabbing what looked like the correct poker, she crouched carefully before the fire, screwing up her face in concentration as she looked for a sign of what to do, where to poke, exactly. She shrugged after a moment, starting to stab ash-covered logs at random, enjoying the feel of the poker scraping over the wood. As she turned over what looked like the largest log, the fire suddenly sprang up, flames flaring to life and jumping out at her.

Megan let out a frantic squawk, dropping the poker and stumbling backwards, her foot catching on the edge of the low table behind her. She didn't have a chance to react, waiting to fall and crash to the ground, but it didn't happen. All at once she became aware of a solid pair of arms that had wrapped around her middle, halting her fall and steadying her.

"Easy there tiger, fire burns," Tyler's deep tones reached her ears, even as her heart stuttered at the expectation of falling, and restarted with a vengeance at the realization his arms were around her, that he'd sort of saved her. Again.

When she was thoroughly on her own two feet again, his arms retreated, to be folded across his chest as he studied her indignant look.

"What were you doing?" He sounded like he was fighting down laugher.

"Uhh...kickstarting, the, uh fire." She looked at the ground, her scuffed sneaker toeing the plush carpet.

"Literally?" Her head shot up; she was sick of being joked with. "It's not _my_ fault I'm used to hitting an on/off switch on a furnace! City girl, remember?"

"Alright, I'll give you a pass this time, but don't let me catch you doing anything else dangerous until you're back on your own terrain, okay?" Tyler moved around her to stoke the fire himself, stirring the burning wood and adding more logs with certain movements.

Megan rolled her eyes, flopping back onto the couch. "Whatever you say."

Satisfied that the fire would last another long while, Tyler retreated to the couch as well, and they sat in silence for a moment, neither acknowledging what had happened in the woods. Finally, Megan spoke.

"The..um, the wolf-ness, it's...it's gone for now?"

Tyler cocked his head to one side. "I'm not sure. I can feel The Wolf as a presence, conscious within me at all times, and right now it's sort of...writhing right beneath the surface."

Megan made what might have been a whimper, and recoiled to her end of the couch slightly. He didn't want her afraid of him; that was the last emotion he wanted her feeling towards him. Resentment, anger, they were all better than that. He turned his body towards hers, staring until she made eye contact. "I can sense when I'm about to change, Megan. I'd get far away. I would never hurt you." _If I was aware of what was happening,_ he thought, but kept that part to himself.

She nodded, still looking slightly uncertain, and then her whole expression changed, transforming into irritation. "I wish you'd stop poking fun at my habits, my lack of knowledge, everything. I'm actually a pretty competent person, in the outside world."

"The outside...?"

"Like, society." She glared at him. "I'm not used to being made fun of, and I'm not sure I like it." She was so honestly miffed that he couldn't control the bark of laughter that burst from his throat. Her perfectly-sculpted brows furrowed at his laughter, and he only laughed harder, raising a hand to cover his mouth as he looked at her.

She grabbed the nearest thing at hand, another pillow, and raised herself up on her knees to hit him in the head, as hard as she could. He fell back against the edge of the couch, still guffawing madly even as he raised his arms to defend himself against the pillowy onslaught. When he felt she'd landed enough hits to content herself, he grabbed the pillow, wrenching it from her grasp, and gripping both of her wrists, holding them above her head as he pushed her back onto the couch.

She struggled against his hold, annoyed she was now weaponless, and wiggled around so much that they toppled from the couch onto the thick, soft carpet laying in front of the fire, he on top of her. With her wrists still trapped, Megan could do nothing but stare into his face, which was so close they were breathing the same air, his expression abruptly stilled by the position they found themselves in. She stopped fighting his hold, and they both relaxed, the crackling of the fire the only sound in the room for a moment.

They lunged at each other in the same moment, their lips once again tangling, wandering hands encountering disappointing barriers of clothing. The kiss deepened, one of Tyler's hands shaping itself to the back of Megan's head, the other dipping beneath her back to lift her to him. She moaned softly as his lips traveled down her neck, and the noise brought him momentarily to his senses. "Should we be doing...this?"

Her eyes opened, and Megan looked at him, her eyes clouded with desire, and she directed the question back at him. "Is it alright?"

His eyes traveled to the fire and back to hers as he considered. "The um, The Wolf is pretty much powerless at this point, especially if I'm physically exhausted."

She took that as encouragement, reaching up and bringing his face back down to hers, grinning against his lips. "Aroo."

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><p><strong>Arooooooo. How was that, Team Wolf? XOXO ~Bon<strong>


	4. Chapter 4  Epilogue

**HELLO EVERYONE! I have issues, that's all there is to it, I feel like a fail author and my updating credit/rep is completely ruined, LOL. I feel bad for Megan's inspiration, and for you guys, keeping you waiting. Suffice it to say, these things ARE tough to write, these serial fics, for me at least. I've realized I'm a do-it-as-a-oneshot-and-publish kinda girl, and I've had a lot of emotional drama these past months, things getting in the way of my writing...AHEM.**

**I know a lot of you were like can't wait for more, etc., but me and Megan decided a WHILE back that this would be a four-shot, nothing more. So this is actually the end, the epilogue to all the wolfy bidness that has been posted so far. Sorry, but I am so glad you've all enjoyed it so immensely so far.=**

**We'll get to the actual chap in a moment, alright? xD I just need to say that I love all of your support, but this fic came about as a gift to Megan, and I hope it's good enough for her. She's a great friend, ladies and gents, and this fic in its entirety is dedicated to her awesomeness. Someday she'll find a love as epic as Megan and Tyler's in this story. I love you, Volves, and I hope I did right by the Myler ship! And with tears in my eyes, I bid you all, ENJOY!  
><strong>

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><p>It was shortly after sunrise when Megan awoke, rousing as a charred log collapsed in the fireplace, scattering ashes and dimming the light of the fire further.<p>

Momentarily disoriented, it took her a moment to recall her surroundings, recognize the ornamental animal heads mounted on the walls, realize whose hard, muscled arm was wrapped tightly around her bare waist...Wait, what? Memories of the previous night came flooding back, and Megan's cheeks burned as her mind really grasped what had transpired between her and Tyler.

He'd been...a thorough lover, she thought, a grin coming unbidden to her face even as she winced at the aches surfacing in her limbs. He'd never once hurt her, she'd never felt a moment's fear once she'd made her decision. Even now, all she felt was a blissful peace of mind, body (except for minor aches), heart. She hadn't made a mistake.

Easing free from Tyler's grip proved tricky; his subconscious reluctance to release her was adorable, even as he still slept. She ended up more or less wrenching his arm off and slithering out of reach, and he rolled over, muttering incoherently and baring enough flesh to tempt her all over again.

Finally standing, Megan shivered in the absence of heat, as the fire was sputtering, clinging to life; she quickly snagged a woven blanket from the back of the couch to wrap around herself, admiring the intricate native designs covering it. She blinked down at Tyler for a moment, noting that they'd slept on...the floor, and she hadn't even noticed. It was definitely a new thing for her, she thought, snickering quietly to herself as she edged towards her backpack and clothes.

When she was fully dressed and cleaned up a bit, she appraised the situation. She needed to leave, that was the bottom line. As great as this adventure had been, towards the end at least, she had to go. Contact with the outside world was a priority, she'd been gone too long. School, her parents, work...it all awaited. Or so she told herself in a vain attempt to silence the voice in the back of her mind that whispered, "coward", as she stared at Tyler's sleeping form.

Did she wake him and request he sniff out the trail? Should she be the one-night stand who demanded to be taken to her car at six o'clock the next morning? She cringed at the thought, then her eyes fell upon the small table immediately inside the cabin's front door. A small glint caused by a stray ray of morning light drew her closer, and she realized it was a laminated, durable map that met her eyes. A compass lay next to it, and a pink highlighter marker.

None of that had been there before. Frowning, Megan cautiously unfolded the map, spotting the cabin's location clearly marked in neon pink ink, as well as the foot-route back to the trailhead and highway. Megan could only stare, her eyes roving the map, finally landing on a bit of writing on an unneeded part of it.

In black ink, a masculine hand had scrawled, "I know it's time for you to go. I was never good at good-byes, so I hope you take this the right way, me leading you in the right direction. We didn't have long, Megan, but I feel like you're branded on me now, somehow. Sounds crazy right? Exactly why I'll stick to this note, it looks less nuts on paper, I'm telling myself. Take care of yourself, on your way back and once you're back in Virginia, too. Maybe we'll meet again someday. Aroo. -Tyler."

She was unaware her eyes had teared up until a tiny droplet hit the map with a small patter, and she had to catch it quickly so it didn't smear her marked path. Megan drew a shuddering breath, once again amazed at what had happened to her in so little time, and the...extent of these feelings that had appeared, and...the list went on. Her thoughts sounded like the incoherent ramblings of a dream diary or something, ugh. What had happened _was _like a fairytale...

She shook her head at the bitter thought that she was abandoning Prince Charming; this had to happen, and he'd admitted it as well, albeit on paper. It did have to happen, he was exiled to the woods or whatever, she was working on her education...It'd never work, and she _had _to get home _now_, in any case, for the time being...Her family and friends were probably worrying like crazy.

Listing off these mental bulletin points was enough to strengthen her conviction, so, compass and map in hand, backpacked secured, Megan stepped toward the door.

Her hand abruptly fell from reaching toward the doorknob, and she turned to dart back towards the couch. Unable to resist, her hand found the slumbering Tyler's hair, stroking the thick, dark strands as she pressed a kiss to his chiseled jaw. He made a primitive sound, a low whimper, his face leaning into her touch.

She drew back as if burned, knowing it was dangerous to linger. Her clothes would be off in less than a minute if she gave herself half a chance, so Megan backed towards the door, quietly wrenching it open, thankful as hell for the well-oiled hinges as she stepped into the brisk morning air.

The sun had barely crested the horizon; she'd slept for what, maybe two hours tops? Man, had he made her feel great; she hardly felt any fatigue at all, despite braving the elements at such an early hour.

Megan took a deep breath, refreshed by the cool air entering her lungs, and, raising the map and compass, started forward.

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><p><strong>~About three months later~<strong>

It was mid-December, and it'd already been a hell of a winter for Charlottesville, Virginia, and the surrounding area. Early snow, icy conditions ever-present, pelting rain when the temperatures saw fit to rise; they'd had it all, weather-wise, and it made for generally less than delightful moods for everyone around.

"Damnit!" Megan exclaimed, as she stood outside her car in the freezing, early-morning chill. She'd locked her keys inside, distracted as she'd been maneuvering her thermos of tea out of the passenger side, where it'd toppled to the floor, thankfully not spilling. Life was out to get her, she had decided, and she made that announcement to a flock of crows pecking at the sidewalk a few yards away.

They of course ignored her, infuriating Megan further. A bunch of _birds_ couldn't be bothered with her problems, much less any of the more humanoid beings in her life.

Since she'd returned from her Washington trip, things had been different. Her life was so damn _hectic_. She was working full-time as a receptionist in a medical facility, she was cramming classes in between those shifts, and her weekends were filled with studying and sleep, if she could manage it. Flashcards, review packets, and cups of coffee were her only friends at the moment.

And yet, through it all...Thoughts of Tyler managed to prevail. Even when her mind was consciously focused on a task or problem, her need for him seemed to shadow her thoughts. It was ridiculous, she told herself, completely nuts, and she threw every shred of logic and reason she could think of at herself, and still...She couldn't leave it alone. This wasn't a math problem where she could look at it and instantly have the solution and have it fit, this couldn't be explained scientifically...She was so screwed.

Odds were, the guy had forgotten all about her, and had undoubtedly "rescued" several more damsels in distress in the time since she'd returned...Or so she told herself, but in reality, her brain _cringed_ at that thought, out of shame; she had the oddest feeling that Tyler would never do that. But then again, she was obsessed, clearly. Sometimes she thought she saw him around, leaving a grocery aisle by the opposite end as she entered it, passing her on the street, sitting against the window in a bus that passed her...

Megan shook her head violently, spewing forth another litany of curses, dragging herself back to the moment, to the frigid air, and the dilemma of her locked car. Fumbling around in her purse for her phone to call her parents, who kept a spare at the house for her, her fingers finally latched onto the silicon case of her iPhone, only to send it flying from her grasp as she whipped it out. The phone landed with a small tinkling sound, and went skittering across the icy pavement, halting squarely in the middle of the parking lot. Everyone would see her retrieving it. And that _ominous little cracking noise. _

Fighting back tears, Megan finally shoved her thermos and purse on the roof of her car, sniffling miserably as she stepped carefully towards the phone lying so innocently on the cold concrete. When she reached the device and picked it up, she almost shrieked out loud, spotting the small crack on the screen. She was so absorbed in staring at it, she didn't notice a jogger cutting through the parking lot, and as she turned to head back to her car, they collided, the man's hands grabbing her arms and managing to keep them both standing.

"Oh, I'm so- so sorry-" Megan stuttered, tears finally beginning to fall as she righted herself. For a moment the man's grip had felt like Tyler's, and she'd thought...

As she looked at the jogger, he grinned lightheartedly, shaking his gray-haired head. "That was all on me, ma'am, sorry!" When she smiled in acceptance, he quickly jogged off again, and Megan was left shaking her head, returning dazedly to her car. She was losing it, and fast.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Megan was putting the finishing touches on an outfit for going to the bar downtown. A friend was celebrating a promotion, and she'd be damned if she stood up free drinks after the stressful few weeks she'd had. As she adjusted the carved Obsidian pendant resting just above her cleavage, she stared hard at the rock, a small smile curving the side of her mouth. Somehow the original stone had appeared in her pocket, probably from when she was frantically scrabbling to escape Tyler's wolf form.<p>

In any case, she'd kept the rock after discovering it, and promptly had it made into a necklace when she made it back home. She told no one why, giving some vague excuse as to it being pretty, and black matching everything. She never took it off, but it was rarely visible like tonight. It matched her simple dark top perfectly, and as she revolved in the mirror to get a look at herself, she decided she looked good, having completed the outfit with dark jeans and heels. With a last check on her makeup in the mirror, she nodded in approval, grabbing a small clutch and heading out the door, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest, though she couldn't figure out why.

A friend picked her up, and they arrived just as the bar was reaching peaking point, people standing outside smoking, a line forming to get inside, and loud music blaring from inside. Megan fidgeted a bit, wringing her hands against the material of her clutch purse; she really didn't go out that much, and the prospect was a little daunting.

An hour later, Megan was nicely buzzed, leaning backwards against the bar, elbows propped on it, nursing a bottle of beer. She was trying her best to have a good time; however, half the people she'd met there had left with random people they'd met that evening, and a round of tequila shots had the rest out on the dance floor, hollering their lungs out to an Usher song. Megan herself was not much of a dancer unless the mood suited her, which, admittedly, was not very often; she was not very coordinated, as many aspects of her mountain adventure had shown. Saying so, however, had not swayed the minds of several tipsy men, who had demanded dances with slurred words, fumbling for her hand.

She'd done herself proud, sidestepping when need be, smiling nervously and managing to vanish into the crowd, finally surfacing where she now stood, keeping an eye out for creeps through slightly blurry vision. Blinking a few times, she raised the beer to her lips, draining the rest after a small sigh. This night was a bummer like all the rest, and then add in the weirdos who wouldn't leave her alone...

As she turned back to the bar to hand over the empty bottle, Megan felt an arm slide around her waist. Rolling her eyes and suppressing a groan, she slowly turned to find a burly man, red-faced and very obviously not sober, leering at her even as his hands wandered her person. Megan physically winced; this same dude had been at her to dance since she'd gotten here, and was _not_ taking no for an answer. Gingerly, she tried to step back, until she hit a barstool directly behind her, and mister Tubby, realizing what she was doing, tightened his grip on her waist.

"Please let go," Megan tried, trying not to infuse the panic she felt into her voice.

He just chuckled, tugging her closer, though Megan tried to pull back. "C'mon sweetheart, you're beeaaautiful, and ah just wanna dance, one little dance, and maybe a kiss..." His face lurched towards hers, and Megan just averted it, his slobbery lips landing on her cheek instead. Eew.

She was able to surreptitiously scrub her cheek with a napkin before meeting his gaze again. "Let me _go_, you creep!" He started to become angry, his grip tightening to the point of pain. Why was no one noticing him all over her? Glancing around, she could see the bartender occupied by a large group who all wanted shots and mixed drinks, and everyone else within range was too drunk to help. She closed her eyes, thinking as rapidly as she could through the mental haze the alcohol had caused.

Suddenly, another arm wrapped around her from behind; the grip was firm and reassuring, the arm's bountiful muscles taut with tension. Megan's panic subsided abruptly as she felt the flabby arms of the lecherous big guy pried from around her waist.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, babe," a familiar voice drawled, and Megan's heart leapt into her throat. "I hope this gentleman wasn't bothering you." The second phrase held a barely-hidden warning, and the heavy man uttered a slurred apology, backing away like wild horses were dragging him.

His uncomfortable grip was replaced by the warm, comforting feel of a pair of arms she recognized instantly. She smiled down at their sun-browned appearance, leaning back into the chest of the man behind her. "You're here."

"That's right," Tyler crooned, aware of her intoxicated state. "You don't seem surprised." He pressed a kiss to her ear and then her hair as he spoke.

"Gratitude for the creeper-rescue is outweighing all other emotions right now," Megan assured him, trying to steady her heartrate even as Tyler sent it spiralling out of control again, placing a small kiss on her neck. And in actuality, now that the danger had passed, she was furiously composing a list in her head of all substances the bartender could've put in one of her drinks to elicit the hallucinations. She stared at the man in question, but he was an older, jolly fellow whom she could never see spiking anything.

Damn. Maybe it was just that she was so buzzed. So another drink couldn't hurt, might even end the hallucinations, right?

Nodding to herself, Megan leaned over the bar, beckoning to the bartender and ordering a double shot of whiskey. She pulled out of Tyler's arms and plopped down on a barstool, indicating woozily that he should take the one alongside her. He did, throwing her a worried glance. "Are you alright, Megan? Is it okay that I've come?"

Megan's double shot arrived, and her fingers closed around the small glass, grounding her addled thoughts as best she could with the cold contact. "I'm totally fine now, thanks, and I'd be freaking mindblowingly _ecstatic_ that you're here, except for the fact you're a hallucination." It was all said with the slightest of slurs, ending with a gusty sigh, and a furtive glance around to see if anyone else _had _noticed the hot werewolf who'd apparently travelled cross-country to find her.

Tyler's frown deepened at her words, then his expression rapidly morphed into one of pure amusement. Megan was so hilarious, even if her humor at the moment was at the cost of her sanity, in her eyes.

He watched her toss back the double of whiskey, grimacing and daintily wiping at her mouth with a napkin as she set the glass back on the bar. Ever the lady. His knowing grin widened, knowing things would get more interesting when the whiskey hit.

A few moments of silence later, Megan pulled out her cellphone, stared at the screen, and started to whimper. At the noise, Tyler snapped back to attention, thinking idly how interesting it was to see her in a setting of civilization, among other people...She was so adorable, even at this moment, wailing as she was at her phone for unknown reasons.

"What happened? Some hot dude forget to text you back?" Tyler leaned over to her, trying to instill as much humor as he could into the question, even as he eyed the cracked screen. Megan's beautiful brown eyes, even watery as they were, and surrounded by rapidly-smearing makeup, met his, taking his breath away momentarily. "I...dropped it, 'cause I'm a big fat fail. Nothing's gone right for me, Wolfy boy, since I freaking emerged from the freaking woooodsss!" She buried her head in her hands, as Tyler blinked at the strange euphemism. It _was_ a euphemism, right...

The bartender cast them a look, brows raised, and Tyler nodded to him, before putting an arm around her and pressing his head to hers. "Let's get you home, okay, Megan? You're not a fail, the furthest from it I've ever seen."

A few sniffles later, his arm was firmly around her, leading her out of the bar after he'd settled her tab himself. She was hiccuping every so often, with her head buried into his shoulder. He finally knew she lived, which was just a long ways down the main thoroughfare they were already on. But to walk there, or get a taxi...

As if she read his thoughts, Megan blurted out, "I wanna walk," nuzzling her face into his shoulder.

"Alright, but at the first sign of motor skills problems, you're getting carried," Tyler joked, smirking as he pulled Megan away for a moment to put his jacket over her shoulders. She nodded obediently, smiling as he began to walk her down the crowded sidewalk.

* * *

><p>Megan was now completely confused. He <em>had <em>to be imaginary, right, she was walking herself home, she'd paid her own tab, the warmth of his body next to hers was..._imagined_. To cement her theory, she hiccuped, reminding herself she was totally wasted. Yep. Delusional, drunken wolf-boy fangirl right here. That was all.

Still, she could enjoy it while it lasted, right? she thought, inhaling deeply the pleasant scent of the leather jacket around her shoulders. Sneaking a glance at "Tyler", she admired the white collared shirt he'd worn under the jacket, with the sleeves now rolled up...Yum. And the tight dark jeans...Ooh lala, was her drunk mind in heaven or what.

She wasn't too drunk to notice all the heated glances random women passing by sent him, though he kept his eyes straight ahead when he wasn't looking at Megan to check she was doing alright. This gave her a massive sense of satisfaction, that he was with _her_, though she didn't know why other women would be able to see him. _They must all be on drugs_, she decided.

At last, her house was in full view, and she waited for the illusion to end. They reached her porch, and the motion-detecting light came on, assaulting Megan's drunk vision with harsh brightness just as she felt Tyler's arm retract.

Blinking to clear her sight, she turned as quickly as she felt she could, feeling the liquor punish her anyways, with a wave of nausea. Tyler was gone. Of course she'd been right, she may be a cynic but she was always right. One could only rely on themself, and all that jazz...

Grumbling loudly and incoherently about hipsters and "bella-like" reckless behavior, Megan ascended the steps to her house. After a duel with the lock, involving several random stabs at the doorknob with her key, she was finally inside, the darkness and quiet immediately soothing the drunken chaos that was her thought process at the moment.

Stumbling upstairs, she tossed her keys and phone, and the jacket she hadn't remembered bringing with her, in the direction of her desk, flopping onto her bed in exhaustion. She was asleep in less than a minute.

* * *

><p>Megan was rudely awakened early the next morning by her phone ringing incessantly, the ringtone only interrupted by the dinging notification that she'd received a voicemail as well.<p>

Head feeling like the drummer of a marching band was inside, mouth tasting like she'd used battery acid for mouthwash, she lunged for the phone she'd tossed on the desk. Wincing at both the cracked screen and the little blinking battery icon, showing it was nearly dead, she glared at the device before wrestling her way to the voicemail inbox, hoping there was enough juice for that. The first message was one of her friends whom she'd gone to the bar with last night, shrieking into the phone that they were sure she was kidnapped and dead, and it was all their fault, and they'd never drink again if she called them back. The next 11 messages were all of a similar nature, and she cringed, clearing all notifications and scouring her room for the charging cord.

When that was done, she nearly ran for the shower, she felt so disgusting. The hot water felt amazing, almost as nice as the shower at Tyler's cabin had felt so many months ago, when she'd been all grody from the wilderness...She shook her head, trying to banish those heartwrenching thoughts, then froze. Tyler had totally been in her presence last night. Right? Or _had _she imagined it?

She glanced down in the shower at the pendant, hanging around her neck like always, despite being constantly drenched by the shower. She'd replaced the chain twice already, they kept rusting through, and everyone just shook their heads at her. Whatever.

Toweling her hair dry, with another wrapped around her, Megan returned to her room, freezing completely as she spotted the strange jacket on her floor near the desk, where it had missed the chair she'd thrown it at last night.  
>"Who the...What..." She was incapable of coherent words as she moved to it, crouching and grabbing the material. It...smelt like Tyler, like fresh air, a subtle cologne, and a unique scent that was all him, that she'd recognize anywhere. She hadn't imagined it, but why had he disappeared last night without so much as a "see ya later"? Her brow furrowed, her eyes starting to burn slightly, alerting her she was near tears. She tossed the jacket towards her open closet, where it crumpled to the floor, looking abandoned.<p>

Megan moved to her window, ripping the towel from her hair and running her hands through it, frustrated. What was she supposed to _do_ with these feelings? Was she supposed to pursue a relationship with this man she'd met, who apparently wandered like a nomad, when she was in the middle of school and work and everything? And what did he really feel, months later?

"Feelings suck," Megan muttered to herself, turning to her dresser and flinging clothes around until she found a suitable lazy-day outfit. It was the one day of the week where she could afford to be hungover; no work, no school to worry about. As she left her room and headed downstairs, her eyes caught her wall calendar; she'd begun circling full moons, for some reason; the next one was not for two weeks, she idly noted.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, she was having as relaxing a time as she could manage; everyone was out of the house for the weekend, she was curled up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate, enjoying a good book. She'd managed to figure out the fireplace, undoubtedly something her Washington adventures had helped with, and had some music playing low in the background. She was as content as she could get.<p>

But after an hour of quiet, Megan was getting restless. She set her book down with a huff, staring into the fire, crossing her arms across her chest. Clad in a cami, she was a little chilled even with the fire going, so she rose after a moment, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her flannel lounge pants, and headed for the staircase. As she crossed the entryway, a knock sounded on the door, startling her.

Edging cautiously to the front door, Megan peered through the peephole and nearly died of shock. Taking a deep breath, she wrenched the door open before she doubted herself, grateful she'd at least put on some makeup, by force of habit.

Tyler stood on her porch, looking even more nervous than she felt. He looked so strange, out of the wilderness, in her suburban neighborhood, with a white picket fence behind him...Megan shook her head viciously, stumbling over her words. "T...Tyler...Come in!"

He grinned, bowing his head and rubbing the back of his neck before stepping inside, looking around the front hallway as she closed the front door hurriedly, pulling her hair from its topknot. Combing through the locks that tumbled over her shoulders, she glanced quickly in the front hall's mirror, before tapping Tyler on the shoulder and leading him into the living room.

She pointed him towards an armchair, then perched on the edge of the couch again, hurriedly stuffing her romance paperback under a cushion, crossing her legs, and clasping her hands over her knee. "What, um, brings you here?"

Tyler ran a hand through his hair, before clearing his throat awkwardly. "Guess you know I'm not, uh, imaginary, huh?" He grinned, leaning forward, propping his elbows on his knees and letting his hands hang. "I...I've really got a handle on, you know, the wolf thing. It's been so long now. And that whole changing-back thing that happened with you...Changed something. It's all easier, I'm calmer as the wolf, my human self is more conscious even when I've transformed. I don't know what you did, Megan. And I just...I needed to see you again."

Megan was slightly breathless, her hands gripping her knee tightly, to the point of pain. She couldn't find her voice, and so Tyler sought to fill the silence. "How's the leg? I hope it healed alright." The concern in his voice was touching, and she forced herself to make a sound. "It healed great, there was a scar, of course." Grateful she'd shaved her legs, she pulled the leg of her flannel pants up to her knee, showing him the long white mark on her calf, showing stark against her tanned skin. As she rolled the material back down, she didn't notice Tyler's gaze hungrily lingering on every inch of her skin he could see. Suddenly, she raised her head, blurting "Why did you disappear last night?"

Tyler fidgeted, looking at the carpet. "I didn't want to overwhelm you, it was late, you were drunk, I just...had followed you, and, um, wanted to make sure you got home safe. Sorry for the stalker behavior..."

Sitting straight again, Megan finally locked eyes with Tyler. "I honestly don't know what to say. I've missed you...more than words can say, and yeah, it's all completely ridiculous and illogical in my head and I've told myself for months that I shouldn't be feeling what I'm feeling because I would probably never see you again, and..." She drew in a shuddering breath, trying to halt her words. "I need my mop. I don't do emotions."

At that, Tyler just stared, his expression completely blank of anything resembling understanding. "A...mop? You need a mop?"

Megan rose, wringing her hands and flailing mentally. "Um, uh, Yes, I...I don't talk feelings very well. I...I do know there's a connection here. How do we make it work? I've got school and work and you've got the wolf-shaped skeleton in the closet and..."

Tyler's face broke into a wide grin, and he rose, moving to Megan and grabbing her hands, stilling them as he pressed them to his chest. "Don't worry about a thing, we can take it day by day. I've got no ties anywhere, I could stick around here for a bit...I'll just hire a maid service for the cabin..." Megan giggled, pressing her forehead to his chest.

He released her hands, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on top of her head. "I'll do whatever I can to make this work, Megan...If for nothing but your wolf-taming skills." He released her quickly, dodging as she aimed a light kick at his shin, and raising his hands in a placating gesture.

Megan folded her arms, grinning herself before frowning. "You really think we could make it work? You could like...rent a place or something around? 'Cause I like, live with my parents right now..."

All at once Tyler's lips were on hers, thoroughly shushing her. "Don't worry, I mean it," he assured her between kisses. "Everything will fall into place." Within seconds, they were on the couch, Megan pressed into the cushions, their lips never leaving each other's as Tyler pulled off his shirt, his hands moving deftly to the straps of her cami. He froze, staring at the pendant between her breasts. "That sort of rock looks familiar." Megan reddened, clearing her throat. "It sort of...ended up in my possession back in Washington, and my jewelry supply needed refreshing..." Tyler's eyes filled with warmth, and he smothered her with a new bout of kisses, his weight pushing her further into the couch and taking her breath away.

After a few moments, Megan pulled away for air, looking at him with a glint of humor in her gaze. "There wouldn't be _puppies_ somewhere along the line, would there?" Tyler just laughed, imitating a wolf howl before catching her giggle with his own lips.

* * *

><p><strong>There you go guys, the conclusion to Dances With Wolves! Hope you've enjoyed the ride, this has been a nice fic to write, no crazy plot details to stick to, etc., not like some of my other fics. I love you all, I'm off to stare at my Epilogue for Cruel Summer and maybe get it posted soon too! LOVE YOU LOTS MEGAN XOXO ~BON<strong>


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